The Gulian Inn stood before us, its warm lights beckoning us inside. Lily and I were hopeful to find a place to stay for the night. However, our hopes were dashed when we discovered the closed door. It was quite unusual for an inn in this old world to be closed, especially during the evening hours.
"Hmm... Is this place already closed?" I wondered aloud, my brow furrowing in confusion.
A voice from within the inn answered our unspoken question. "Oh, a guest?" One of the innkeeper staff greeted us at the door, looking slightly surprised.
"We've heard good things about this inn. Is it already closed?" Lily inquired, her optimism undeterred.
The Innkeeper staff politely explained, "My sincerest apologies, but one of our esteemed guests has already booked the entire inn for a while. However, if I may, I can guide you to another excellent establishment nearby."
*Step*
Just as we were about to decide, a voice from inside, sounding like a child, interrupted. "There's no need for that; let them in." The staff followed her command, opening the door to reveal Blanc and Sakuya inside.
I couldn't believe my eyes. Blanc was here, and she wasted no time in teasing me as "the rich girl" while referring to Lily as my "attendee." It appeared that our reputation had preceded us, and even the formidable Sakuya was present, sipping her tea with a regal air.
The Gulian Inn had a comforting interior, inviting us with its warmth and charm. However, my attention was drawn to Blanc, who had somehow managed to book the entire place despite just arriving in this world. I couldn't help but wonder how she acquired such resources.
Sitting at the table with Lily, I found myself flanked by Blanc on my right and Sakuya on my left. I tried to maintain composure, but their presence was so imposing that it was hard not to feel nervous.
Lily, always confident, immediately ordered her coffee. I, on the other hand, couldn't help but hesitate, my anxiety getting the best of me.
"What are you looking at?" Blanc's sharp eyes bore into me, and I quickly looked away, feeling uneasy under her intense gaze.
"I'm sorry," I stammered, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Blanc, engrossed in her newspaper and hot chocolate, seemed to be enjoying herself. Meanwhile, Sakuya's stoic and unyielding gaze made me even more uncomfortable. I couldn't help but wonder if I had inadvertently done something to offend her.
Desperate to get the waiter's attention, I glanced around, but the staff seemed hesitant to approach our table, clearly wary of the powerful individuals seated before them.
Then, Sakuya snapped her fingers, causing a loud noise that caught everyone's attention.
"You called?" The waiter appeared instantly, ready to serve.
Sakuya wasted no time in giving her command. "Get her a menu," she said, and the staff promptly handed me one. Although the menu was in a different language, I managed to decipher it.
As the waiter served my tea and left, I mustered the courage to thank Sakuya, but she didn't seem to acknowledge my gratitude.
Finally, I had my drinks, thanks to Sakuya's intervention. But she still seemed to be looking at me.
"Lady Sakuya, is there anything I might have done to offend you?" I asked nervously, gulping down my fear.
*Shrugs*
"That's good to hear. I wouldn't want to make you mad or anything," I affirmed, trying to ease the tension.
Meanwhile, Lily's curiosity about my world led her to ask, "How does the tea here compare to the one in your world, Lady Tatiana?"
"...If I'm being honest, I'm not very good at brewing tea. My clumsiness and nerves tend to take control, and I end up ruining the tea," I confessed, recalling my past experiences of accidentally turning tea into black coffee.
Blanc couldn't resist mocking me. "Hmmph... Of course you are," she sneered, and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. It seemed she found amusement in our similar titles.
"But you know what, Lady Tatiana? I'd love to taste the tea that you brew sometime in the future," Lily said, her eyes gleaming with genuine interest.
"Ahaha... I'd be delighted to share that experience with you," I replied, grateful for Lily's easy-going nature.
As the evening wore on, Blanc closed the newspaper she had been reading, and the creaking of the chair drew our attention to her.
Blanc stood up, and the inn's owner approached her. I noticed that the owner, though shorter than me, exuded a commanding presence.
Blanc issued an order, and the inn's employees left, leaving us in an eerie silence. The windows and front door were soon encased in thick ice, showcasing Blanc's incredible ice magic.
Mesmerized and alarmed, I listened as Blanc announced her plan to destroy this world. Her words weighed heavily on my heart, and I struggled to comprehend her desire to cause suffering and death.
"Earlier, when we came to this world, my thought was to destroy it. But then, I saw that there were already so many villainesses, and I wanted to make things more interesting," Blanc said with a twisted sense of enjoyment.
"Oh, so you plan on creating an everlasting winter to the world?" Lily asked, intrigued by Blanc's strategy.
"Of course! I've researched this world and learned that they heavily rely on crops and sunlight for food. By slowly depleting their resources, most peasants would die," Blanc explained, sending a shiver down my spine.
Lily suggested a different approach. "Why not go to separate countries and make them engage in war with each other? We can find out who the best villainess is that way."
Sakuya, who had remained quiet until then, finally spoke up. "Me? I would simply destroy the world entirely, leaving nothing behind," she said, nonchalantly sipping her tea.
The very ground beneath us? I couldn't fathom the idea.
Blanc scoffed at Sakuya's response. "As barbaric as ever. You lack artistry," she retorted.
"A child like you wouldn't understand the consequences of playing with lives that will die anyway," Sakuya replied, as though trying to school Blanc in the ways of humanity.
The tension in the room rose, and Blanc's anger became palpable. The temperature dropped suddenly as the room seemed to respond to her emotions.
As my heart wrestled with the dark intentions of these powerful women, I couldn't stay silent any longer. "Stop!" I blurted out, unable to bear the thought of harm coming to innocent people.
Sakuya brushed off my protest, seemingly unfazed, and even taunted Blanc about her potential threats. The tension in the room escalated, and it felt like a war could break out at any moment.
Attempting to lighten the mood, Lily chimed in with a witty joke. "Hey, Blanc, instead of an everlasting winter, how about we have an everlasting snowball fight? I bet you'd look adorable with snowflakes in your hair!"
Blanc raised an eyebrow, surprised by Lily's light-heartedness. "Fashion isn't my priority, but I'm sure I'd make snowballs like no other," she replied, with a hint of amusement in her voice.
The room seemed to relax slightly with Lily's joke, but the gravity of the situation still hung heavy in the air.
Before I could contemplate my role in this alliance any further, Blanc turned her attention towards me, challenging me with a proposition.
"Hmm, aren't you a villainess? How come you have a different aura than us? I don't recall encountering a rich aristocratic girl like you as a villainess before," Blanc mused.
I took a deep breath, gathering my courage, and spoke my truth, "I'm not a villainess. I don't want people to suffer and die. They haven't done anything wrong; some of them just want to live peacefully. I can't understand why you hate them so much."
Blanc's response was cold and resolute, "Because I hate humanity itself. My hatred is beyond what your words alone can comprehend. Perhaps if the world were to perish alongside humanity, it might bring me some relief."
In that moment, I realized that I stood face-to-face with beings whose hearts were consumed by darkness, and I wondered if there was any hope of steering them towards a path of compassion and understanding.
"Aren't you humans yourselves?" I tried to reason with Blanc, hoping to understand why she would want to destroy her own kind.
"Open your eyes, girl. We are far from being human. All of us have already been dirtied with the blood of our own. Did you know the code for humans? You can only kill a human once, then you're not a human anymore. Unlike you, I don't think you have ever killed a person," she said, her words striking a chord within me.
I had nothing to say in response, as I had never once taken another person's life.
"Now, if you want to save humanity, how about a bet? If you can prevent a war from happening, well, if you can, of course, I'll grant anything you wish for," Blanc proposed, a glimmer of challenge in her eyes.
My mind raced as I tried to process the gravity of her proposition. A war, two years from now, in a town situated between two warring factions. The fate of countless lives hung in the balance. Could I really make a difference and prevent such bloodshed?
"There will be a war?!" I exclaimed, my heart pounding in my chest.
Sakuya, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke, "Yes, a war is inevitable in that region, and it will be a catastrophic event if left unchecked."
I swallowed hard, my mind racing with the weight of the task Blanc had set before me. I had never faced such a daunting challenge in my life, but something inside me refused to turn away.
-End of Chapter 4-